One ICT to be deactivated as number of war crimes cases dwindle

Moves are afoot to place in abeyance one of the two war crimes tribunals, as the number of cases dwindle three years after their formation to hasten the trial process.

The law secretary told the press about the initiative on Thursday.
 
“A proposal has been prepared to keep one of the two International Crimes Tribunals (ICT) in operation. The other will be kept in abeyance.
 
“It will not be dismantled, however. It can be reactivated the moment the government wants,” he said.
 
If the proposal was accepted, a notification could be issued around Monday.
 
The ICT was constituted in 2010 to try war criminals of 1971 with Justice Nizamul Huq as the chairman and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and retired district judge AKM Zaheer Ahmed as its members.
 

The second tribunal was formed on Mar 23, 2012 with Justice ATM Fazle Kabir as chairman after three more members were inducted into ICT-1.

The two other members of the three-member ICT-1 were Justice Obaidul Hassan and tribunal registrar Mohammad Shahinur Islam. Justice Anwarul Haque replaced Justice Fazle Kabir in ICT-1.

That year Justice Jahangir Hossain of the Supreme Court’s High Court Division replaced Zaheer Ahmed after he resigned on health grounds.

Justice Fazle Kabir was brought back as the chairman of ICT-1 after Justice Nizamul Huq quit in the face of a controversy over his alleged conversation with a person on Skype.

After Justice Kabir’s retirement, Justice M Enayetur Rahim took over as the chairman of ICT-1. Its other two members at present are Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haq.

Justice Obaidul Hassan is the current chairman of ICT-2. The other two members are Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Shahinur Islam.